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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26959768">Guitar Lesson</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunni_art_929/pseuds/bunni_art_929'>bunni_art_929</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Moominvalley (Cartoon 2019), Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ficlet, Fluff, M/M, also joxter is mentioned i guess, snufkin plays the guitar, snufmin, somehow moomin doesn’t know what a guitar is, these bois always make me so soft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:27:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,000</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26959768</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/bunni_art_929/pseuds/bunni_art_929</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Moomin finds a strange instrument in the basement. Is there somebody who can show him how to play it?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mumintrollet | Moomintroll &amp; Muminpappan | Moominpappa, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll &amp; Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snusmumriken | Snufkin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Guitar Lesson</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>my first limited-word fic! 1000 words is. so little.<br/>i like the idea that snufkin can play many instruments, plus the boi played guitar in the 70s so why not now!!!!<br/>btw the song i imagine snufkin playing is called ‘cavatina’, so feel free to listen along! https://youtu.be/X7SvBtJuh3Y</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>While rooting around in the basement, Moomin came across a very peculiar instrument: it had six strings trussed up on a round wooden body. Perhaps it was a common instrument, but Moomin wasn’t well-versed in that kind of thing. So he dusted it off and decided to go upstairs to show it to the resident expert.<br/>
“Why, I believe that’s the Joxter’s old guitar!” exclaimed Moominpappa upon inspecting it. “Yes, I remember now. Back in the day he would often carry it around with him. He would play some of the loveliest songs on this thing...”<br/>
“Why was it in our cellar if it belongs to Joxter?”<br/>
Pappa’s brow furrowed. “Hmm. If I remember correctly, he entrusted it with me before leaving on a long journey. I do wonder where the old lad went to...”<br/>
“May I try it?” Moomin asked, his fingers hovering tentatively over the strings.<br/>
“Of course,” Pappa chortled. “But I doubt it’s in tune.”<br/>
Moomin gave it a solid strum, and both he and his father cringed at the dissonant noise.<br/>
“Dear me, Moomin!” Pappa cried. “It’s worse than I thought. As much as I’d like to help you, er, I have something to attend to up in my study. Yes.”<br/>
“Oh, but wouldn’t you like to hear me play some more?” teased Moomin. Pappa shuddered at the thought.<br/>
“I’ll have to pass, my boy,” Pappa pat Moomin on the shoulder, and headed upstairs. “Maybe when you have tuned the thing.”<br/>
Moomin watched him go, then glanced back down at the instrument he held. Perhaps Snufkin knows what to do with this! he thought, feeling his excitement grow. Moomin would take any excuse to visit his friend Snufkin, after all.<br/>
So off he went, across the bridge to the the little campsite where Snufkin stayed.<br/>
“Snufkin!” cried Moomin.<br/>
“Moomintroll,” replied Snufkin in that wonderful lilting tone of his that made the full name sound like a song.<br/>
“What’s that you’ve got there?” Snufkin asked, eying the instrument Moomin held.<br/>
“It’s the Joxter’s guitar!” Moomin brandished the thing. “I found it in the cellar, but I don’t know how to play it.”<br/>
Snufkin reached out his paws, and Moomin gingerly handed it over. “I thought it looked familiar,” Snufkin murmured, his fingers skimming the old strings. ”The Joxter would leave this around Mymblemamma’s house upon the rare occasion that he payed it a visit.”<br/>
Snufkin frowned at the thought of his estranged father, so Moomin promptly changed the subject. “Are you able to play?”<br/>
“Oh, not very well, but I’ve learned a thing or two over the years.”<br/>
Snufkin gently strummed the strings and the terrible sound made him laugh. “Oh my, this thing needs some love. Here,” he said, giving it back to Moomin. “I’ll play the notes on my harmonica while you tune the strings.”<br/>
Moomin sat down on a log, hesitating to turn the little metal pegs. They looked so fragile.<br/>
“It’s alright,” Snufkin reassured him, and sat by his side. “Just take it slow. Clockwise to go down, counterclockwise to go up. Ready?”<br/>
Snufkin played a high E on his mouth organ, and Moomin carefully matched the first string to the tone.<br/>
“Good!” Snufkin flashed a smile that made Moomin’s heart flutter. “You have quite the natural sense of pitch.”<br/>
They tuned the other five strings until an open-string strum actually sounded pleasant.<br/>
“Shall I show you some chords?” Snufkin offered. Moomin went to give him the guitar again, but Snufkin pushed it back. “No, you’ll have to do it yourself.”<br/>
“Fine.” Moomin faked annoyance, but the act abruptly fell when Snufkin took Moomin’s paw in his own. His gentle touch felt like fire as he guided Moomin’s ring finger to the right fret.<br/>
“Press down here, and don’t play the lowest two strings.” His quiet voice gave Moomin shivers, but he managed to play a G-chord with his shaky hands.<br/>
Snufkin smiled again. “Perfect.”<br/>
Moomin felt warm. When had Snufkin gotten so close? They were sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, and Snufkin’s paw still covered Moomin’s own. His face was so near that Moomin could feel his breath against his fur.<br/>
Moomin swallowed hard. “Th-thanks.”<br/>
“And this is an E-minor,” Snufkin continued, unaware. “Two fingers here, don’t leave any strings out this time.”<br/>
Moomin struggled more with this one, unable to get both fingers to press down all the way. Without warning, Snufkin pushed down Moomin’s fingers with his own, and Moomin about fainted from the suddenness.<br/>
Snufkin finally looked up, and upon seeing the redness upon Moomin’s face, cleared his throat. “I think that’s enough practice for now.”<br/>
Moomin longed for Snufkin’s touch as soon as it was gone.<br/>
“Do you know any songs?” asked Moomin through an embarrassing voice crack.<br/>
“Only a few,” Snufkin admitted, this time accepting the guitar. “Though I haven’t played them in so long. Forgive me if I’m rusty.”<br/>
Then Snufkin began to play, slowly at first, but Moomin was immediately entranced. The bittersweet melody was accompanied by flowing arpeggiated chords. As he grew more confident, Snufkin was able to pour emotion into every note. With his skill, the guitar seemed to sing—nothing like Moomin’s ham-handed attempts earlier. Snufkin even began to hum along, his voice raspy and wonderful and oh how Moomin loved him.<br/>
At last Snufkin played the last few notes, pure and simple and sad. And when he looked up at Moomin he caught him red-in-the-face once more.<br/>
“That was...beautiful, Snuf.” Moomin wiped at his misty eyes. “Wonderful. Incredible. Absolutely exquisite.”<br/>
“Alright, Mister Thesaurus,” Snufkin laughed, but he was clearly pleased by Moomin’s response.<br/>
“I thought you said you weren’t that good!” Moomin joined in his laughter. “If that’s what ‘unskilled’ looks like, then I must be downright rubbish.”<br/>
“Oh, no, Moomintroll,” Snufkin shook his head. “You have loads of potential! You just need to learn, that’s all.”<br/>
Moomin shifted slightly. “Then you wouldn’t mind teaching me?”<br/>
Snufkin met his gaze, and his eyes crinkled up in a smile. “It would be my pleasure.”</p>
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